


Happy Thoughts

by dazzling_icer (centz)



Category: As the World Turns, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-29
Updated: 2011-08-29
Packaged: 2017-10-23 05:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/246852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/centz/pseuds/dazzling_icer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Nuke/Harry Potter crossover fic! What would it be like for the boys if they went to Hogwarts?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. This is complete fabrication!
> 
> A/N: IDK what I was thinking when I wrote this. But umm...I hope you like it?

Noah Mayer stood outside of the big wooden door to his Professor’s office. It was quite daunting…having a private meeting with one of the most famous wizards of all time. But when he had let it slip that he was interested in becoming an Auror, and his Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor offered to give him some private lessons on Saturday mornings for the rest of the term, Noah just couldn’t pass up that opportunity no matter how nervous he was. His N.E.W.T.s were coming up next year, and any help he could get beforehand was going to be extremely helpful.

The tall brunet straightened his gold and scarlet tie, took a deep breath, and then finally knocked on the thick door. He waited a few moments until he heard the latch on the other side of the door click, and the door opened widely. Noah found himself staring at deep green eyes that were still very bright and full of life for a wizard of his experience. His jet black hair matched Noah’s own, but was quite unruly on top of his head. A few strands of his bangs just barely covered up the lightning-shaped scar that made him recognizable to anyone in the entire Wizarding World.

“Ah, Noah,” Professor Potter smiled warmly in greeting. “You are a bit early, something I never quite achieved during my time as a student. Never thought punctuality to be very important…or any other rule for that matter…”

Noah laughed knowingly at the Professor, having heard stories of how, as a student, Harry Potter had quite the tendency to bend the rules. It was always for the best though, as Potter seemed to always defeat evil and save everyone in the end. He was quite the hero, although he also heard how he never considered himself to be as such.

Even for a Muggle-born, it didn’t take long for Noah to learn the stories of how Harry Potter defeated the most dangerous Dark Wizard of all time as a seventeen year old. He found out during his first year at Hogwarts when some sixth years told him about his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and why he was so famous. He was very surprised to hear that dark wizards existed; still feeling a shock that wizards and witches in general even existed.

He could still remember the day he found out perfectly. He was reading a book in his sitting room when a knock at the door came. He rose from his chair and answered the door, and almost fell over when he did.

Standing outside was quite possibly the biggest person in the world he had ever seen. He was taller and wider than the door frame, and his legs looked to be the size of tree trunks. He had wild hair and a long beard with dark black eyes. He was wearing a long brown coat that looked tattered and dirty, and Noah couldn’t help but crunch up his nose at the sight of him.

“Ummm…can I help you?” Noah asked him shyly. The giant at the door introduced himself as one Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, and the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Noah gazed at him wide-eyed and mouth agape before rubbing his eyes to make sure he heard right. He could have sworn this man was speaking gibberish.

Noting the shocked look on the young eleven year old’s face, Hagrid gave a hearty laugh and pulled out a small letter from his oversized pocket. Noah took the letter that was addressed to him hesitantly, and carefully opened it, afraid of what exactly might be inside.

He read the letter, which was from some Professor McGonagall, who was this Headmistress at this school called Hogwarts. It explained how he had been accepted, even without submitting an application, and told him that term began on September 1st and he needed to be on the train to school at 11 o’clock in the morning.

Needless to say, he thought it was some kind of joke.

Noah looked up at Hagrid through the doorway and told him he would be right back. He felt quite bad for not inviting him inside, but he knew that he would never fit through the doorway. He walked in to the kitchen where his father was reading the newspaper and showed him the letter. His father was a stern man and valued great discipline. He was a Colonel in the United States Army, and he and Noah had been living in London on an American Army base since Noah was really little.

Colonel Mayer read the letter with great skepticism, and then asked his son where this letter had come from. Noah promptly lead his father to the front door, where he was introduced to Hagrid, and the Colonel immediately began to ask questions about what this Hogwarts school was all about, and what in the world was this thing about wizards and witches.

Noah became dizzy and almost fainted as he listened to Hagrid explain to him and his father about how wizards and witches actually existed, and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a place that young witches and wizards went to be taught magic. Colonel Mayer laughed loudly and was about to politely ask Hagrid to leave, when Noah interrupted and asked what it meant that he was accepted to this school.

“Why, don’ yeh git it, boy?” Hagrid chuckled deeply. “It means yer a wizard, yeh are!”

It took some convincing from Hagrid, including some small magical demonstrations, to get Noah’s father to agree to look into this Hogwarts school. Hagrid then took Noah and Colonel Mayer to a place called Diagon Alley so Noah could get all of his things for the new term.

Walking into Diagon Alley was like walking into a new world. Noah didn’t know what to believe. He kept pinching himself, thinking that he was definitely dreaming and needed to wake up. But Hagrid kept leading them down the busy street, showing them places like Flourish and Blotts, a place where Noah could get all of his books for school, and Madame Malkin’s robe shop, and Noah finally started to believe that all of this was real.

Their first stop was a place where Noah was to get his wand. He felt quite childish, hearing that he needed a wand to do magic, but when Hagrid explained to him that a wizard’s wand was to be like a third arm, he understood its importance and got quite excited.

After getting his arm measurements taken by an old man with white hair and silver eyes, of whom the shop was named after, he was given wand after wand to try. The old man, Ollivander, told him to give each wand a wave to see if something happened, but when nothing did, Noah felt quite silly, and Colonel Mayer was growing impatient. When finally Ollivander handed Noah a dark mahogany wand with a dragon heartstring core, the eleven year old didn’t even have to wave it for something to happen. Small sparks instantly flew from the tip, and Noah felt a warm sensation inside of him. He had had a wand.

Afterwards, Hagrid continued to help Noah and Colonel Mayer collect all of the things that First Years were required to bring to Hogwarts, including books, new robes, a pewter cauldron, and other odd things like a potions kit. When they were all finished in Diagon Alley, Hagrid returned them to their home at the American military base and gave Noah a train ticket. He explained to Noah and his father that the Hogwarts Express left at 11am on September 1st from King’s Cross station and to try and be there early.

They then watched Hagrid get on top of a motorbike and fly away in the sky. When he was out of sight, Noah remembered looking up at his father with an expression of disbelief on his face. He wasn’t sure what exactly the day had turned into. Just that morning, he was a normal eleven year old boy, and now he learned that he was a wizard and had the ability to perform magic.

And now almost six years later, despite the abruptness and unexpectedness of Hagrid’s visit, Noah still considered that day to be one of the happiest of his life.

Professor Potter ushered Noah deep into his office. It was quite simple, with just a desk, a few chairs, and a large cabinet against the wall. Noah curiously looked around, and saw a lot of moving photographs on the wall. Professor Potter was apparently very fond of pictures, and Noah greatly wanted to look around at them all.

Noticing Noah’s curiosity, Professor Potter gave Noah permission to look around.

“Go ahead, Mayer… feel free to look around.”

Noah walked along the wall and began to study every picture on his wall. There were quite a few of him with a pretty redhead girl, surrounding by a few children, and he assumed that it must have been his family. There were also several of a younger version of himself standing next to a tall boy with red hair and freckles, and a girl with brown bushy hair. All three were wearing Gryffindor house robes, and smiling brightly into the camera.

“My best friends,” Professor Potter said suddenly, standing next to Noah and motioning toward the photograph. “Ron, Hermione, and I became best mates in our First Year. First friends I ever had, in fact…”

“Oh…” Noah answered quietly. The names sounded familiar, and it took Noah a moment to recall why. “Oh! They were your friends who helped you defeat Voldemort, right? Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger?”

Professor Potter smiled at him, and then turned his eyes back to the photograph. Noah watched him, and saw his eyes become lost for a moment before turning back to his student.

“The very same,” Professor Potter chuckled a little. “Although it’s Hermione Weasley now…they married some years after the Second War.” Noah just nodded, and turned to look back at the picture one last time. “Well, Noah…enough reminiscing. Are you ready to start your first lesson?”

“Yes, sir,” Noah straightened his shoulders and turned to face his Professor.

“Good, follow me, please.”

Professor Potter led Noah through a back door and into a wide empty room. Noah had seen this room many times, but he had never entered it through Professor Potter’s office before. This was the room that he took his students in to practice their defensive spells, since Professor Potter was a big advocate for learning by experience and not just by theory.

“Now, Mayer,” Professor Potter addressed him, reaching into a pocket in his robes and pulling out his wand. “Tell me…what do you know about the Patronus Charm?”

“A Patronus Charm is a spell that a wizard can use to ward off Dementors or other powerful dark beings. It can take two different forms, that of a shield, or that of an animal, known as a corporeal patronus.”

“Very good, Mayer,” Professor Potter laughed, momentarily reminded of Hermione. “Do you know how to conjure one?”

“No, sir.”

Professor Potter turned toward the open room and stuck his wand out. Without saying anything, Noah watched as bright silver light shot from his wand and soared toward the center of the room. After a few seconds, the light started to take shape of what Noah believed to be a stag. Noah watched in awe as the silver stag began to gallop around the room, leaving bright trails of majestic light behind it.

“In order to conjure a patronus, one must think of a memory. A happy memory…one that is very powerful.”

“Just a happy memory?” Noah asked him, still quite flustered by the stunning stag.

“Not just a happy memory, Noah,” Professor Potter clarified. “This memory must be powerful. It has to be something that fills you up completely, for that kind of a memory will produce the best kind of substantial patronus. Do you think you can think of a memory like that?”

Noah instantly was flooded of images of soft brown eyes and stunning smiles. His stomach did a somersault.

“Definitely.”

“Good,” Professor Potter smiled at him. “Now once you have thought of a memory, you must point your wand and say the words _‘expecto patronum’_. Can you do that?”

“I’ll try, sir,” Noah told him, taking out his own wand. He quickly closed his eyes and began to search through his memory bank for a certain memory. He finally pulled one out, and began to drift away as he concentrated on that day…

 

*~*

 

 _  
Professor Longbottom opened the large double doors and began to lead the group of First Years inside._

 _Noah was in complete awe. The Great Hall definitely lived up to its name. It was a giant room with four long tables stretched out its entire length with older students occupying the seats. Up at the front of the room was another large table where many older looking witches and wizards sat, watching them enter. The walls were aligned with fire places and were decorated with many colorful banners. Noah looked up and was shocked to see hundreds of lit candles suspending in the air all by themselves, giving the room a soft ethereal glow._

 _When he looked up further, he was even more amazed at the ceiling…or was it a ceiling? It was as if the large room had no roof, for when Noah looked up, he saw thousands of glistening stars in the night sky. He was utterly bewildered. He was really beginning to love magic more and more._

 _When Professor Longbottom had led them all to the front of the Hall, Noah noticed a wooden stool sitting in the middle of the floor before the table full of teachers. Lying on top of the stool was an old, banged up looking hat. Professor Longbottom had mentioned something about being sorted into four houses, the names of which Noah thought were too obscure to remember at this point, and he wondered how a hat had anything to do with it. But judging by what he had seen so far today, he figured he should be ready for anything._

 _“I’m going to call your name alphabetically,” Professor Longbottom informed them. “And then you will come up and sit on the stool. I will place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your Houses.”_

 _There was a murmur of excitement between the other students, something that Noah couldn’t relate to. He was nervous beyond belief._

 _“Joseph Affolding,” Professor Longbottom called out, and Noah watched as a small, brown-haired boy stepped slowly up to the stool. He sat down hesitantly upon the wooden object, and waited with a frightened look on his face for the Professor to put the large pointed hat on his head._

 _The whole hall was silent for a few moments as everyone watched with bated breath. Noah looked around and saw that everyone else expected something to happen, but the Muggle-born was still very skeptical about what a hat could possibly do to determine what House a person was to be placed in._

 _After a few more short moments of silence, Noah watched as the hat suddenly sprang to life on top of the boy’s head and shouted, “RAVENCLAW!”. Noah jumped at the deep voice that came from the Sorting Hat, and then watched as a table to his left burst into applause. Joseph Affolding jumped up off of the stool and walked toward the table to join his fellow Housemates._

 _Noah waited patiently while Professor Longbottom called off more names, and more First Years were placed into their Houses. When finally Professor Longbottom reached the letter “M”, Noah started to get really nervous._

 _“Noah Mayer,” the Professor called, looking at the group in front of him for one of them to step forward. Noah took a deep breath, and then began to walk slowly to the stool. He nervously looked to his right at the teacher’s table, and caught the gaze of Hagrid. The Half-giant smiled warmly at him in reassurance, and Noah instantly felt a bit better. He plopped down on the stool, his clumsy, gangly build making him feel awkward atop of it. He tried hard to concentrate on his breathing instead of all of the students in the Great Hall looking at him._

 _Professor Longbottom inched toward him, and gently placed the old hat on top of Noah’s head. It was much too big on him, and the front of the brim fell over his eyes. As soon as the hat was perched on top of his head, he heard a deep voice inside of his mind._

 _“Ahh…a Muggle-born,” it said, and it took Noah a few seconds to realize that the hat was talking to him. “A great mind you have boy, a great mind. I see great things in your future. But where exactly to put you? You have an innocent heart, great friendliness, a ripe brain…ahh, of course…”_

 _Noah listened as the Sorting Hat trailed off, and then suddenly shouted “GRYFFINDOR!” to the entire crowd. Noah didn’t quite know what this meant, but for some reason, he felt deep warmth inside that he was sorted into Gryffindor House._

 _Professor Longbottom removed the hat from his head, and Noah began to make his way toward the table that was applauding for him. He smiled at the students who greeted him, and sat down next to the other first years that were sorted into Gryffindor before him. He began to softly exchange names with the children sitting around him, quickly forgetting about the rest of the Sorting Ceremony going on behind him._

 _He was only brought back to his surroundings when, several minutes later, Noah felt someone sitting down next to him at the table. He looked over and saw a blonde-haired boy sporting a bright smile. Noah watched the boy shake hands with the other students around him, his thousand-watt smile never faltering from his boyish face. When he had finally shook hands with everyone around him, he turned to Noah and held out his hand._

 _“Luke Snyder,” the boy said to him, gazing deeply into his eyes._

 _“Noah Mayer,” he whispered to him, still caught in the gaze of his honey-brown eyes. He slowly raised his hand to meet the other boys’, and when their hands finally embraced, both boys held on tightly. To Noah, his hand felt like it was on fire, and he began to wonder if this was another piece of magic that this place featured. But when he looked up and saw that the blonde boy seemed to be smiling even bigger than before, he was pretty sure that the magic he felt was just him.  
_

 

*~*

 

Noah smiled softly at the memory of his and Luke’s first meeting, and then opened his eyes and turned to the empty room.

 _“Expecto patronum!”_ he shouted, pointing his wand to the center of the room. A strong shot of silver light flew from the tip of his wand, and flew toward the wall before quickly disappearing. Noah was slightly thrown off balance because of the force of the shot, but quickly regained his footing.

“Whoa…” he breathed, his chest rising and falling heavily. “That was pretty intense!”

“That was a good first try, Noah,” Professor Potter told him, giving him a proud pat on the back. “But it seems like your memory that you chose wasn’t quite strong enough. Tell me, what did you think about?”

Noah’s face turned a bit warm at the thought of telling his professor that he thought about the day that he first met Luke, so he just decided to avoid that part.

“Umm…I thought about my first day at Hogwarts…” he told him. “…when I was sorted into Gryffindor.”

“Well, I’m afraid Mayer that you are going to have to pick something much, much stronger than that in order to conjure a proper Patronus. Remember Noah, this memory has to be so happy, that the joy from it completely consumes you. The whole point of this Charm is that it is made up of positive energy to defeat anything that the Dark Arts throws at you. You understand me?”

“Yes sir,” Noah nodded.

“Good, now try once more. And this time, make it powerful!”

Noah took a deep breath and turned back to face the open room. He shut his eyes, and once again began to search for the perfect memory.

 

*~*

 

 _  
“Ugh! I don’t know what’s worse,” Luke exclaimed, throwing the old book down on the grass. “Having to listen to Binns lecture for what seems like hours and not learn anything, or being stuck trying to actually learn the material by reading this god-awful book last minute!”_

 _Noah smiled at his best friend as he lowered his eyes from his own book and set it next to Luke’s on the soft ground._

 _“Maybe we just need a break,” Noah suggested. “We have been at it all afternoon.”_

 _“Yeah, not exactly how I pictured spending my Saturday…especially on such a nice day like this one!”_

 _Noah sat back against the tree they were sitting under, and took in his surroundings. It was a beautiful Spring day on the Hogwarts grounds, and yet here they were, sitting under their favorite tree by The Black Lake, and studying for their History of Magic final with Professor Binns. Their lone ghost professor was so incredibly boring, that it took everything that they had to not fall asleep during their lesson. Needless to say, they couldn’t wait to be done with it after next year…as the thought of taking History of Magic past the O.W.L. level was practically suicide._

 _Ever since their first meeting during the Sorting Ceremony, Noah and Luke had become inseparable. It amazed everyone around them how quickly they had become best friends. Luke learned very early on that Noah was a Muggle-born, and for only two weeks before his first day at Hogwarts had he known that witches and wizards even existed._

 _Noah learned that Luke came from a long line of witches and wizards, and that the Snyder family was one of the oldest Wizarding families still in existence. He had been looking forward to attending Hogwarts ever since he even knew what magic was._

 _That was almost four years ago, and now, in their Fourth Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they both agreed that the past four years had been some of the best of their lives._

 _Luke mirrored Noah’s earlier action, and leaned his back against the trunk of the tree. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and attempted to clear his mind. He felt as if his brain was going to combust with all of the information he had been trying to cram into his head for the past couple of hours._

 _“Man…I hate studying for finals,” Luke admitted, although Noah already knew that about the blonde. “As if History of Magic isn’t bad enough, I still have to find time to study Potions and Charms. I’ll probably do horribly in all of them…”_

 _“But you will do fantastic in Transfiguration,” Noah pointed out, trying to encourage his friend. It was well known throughout the school that Luke had an unusual knack for the subject, having already mastered spells years ahead of him. Noah still remembered the look of shock on everyone’s face, including that of their professor, when he successfully transfigured a match into a needle on his first try during their First Year._

 _“You have to say that,” Luke smiled at him. “You are my best friend. I would turn you into a flobberworm if you didn’t.”_

 _“You wouldn’t dare,” Noah teased back. “You would miss my good looks too much.”_

 _“Yeah,” Luke said softly, slowly losing his smile. “Yeah, I would.”_

 _Noah felt the change in the air, and he knew that Luke was no longer teasing. He caught his gaze, and when he felt a familiar burn in his chest from those deep brown eyes, he quickly turned back around to stare at the lake._

 _Moments like these had been happening more often as of late, and Noah didn’t understand why. His stomach would jump whenever he caught sight of him, and his heart would swell whenever Luke sent a smile his way. He couldn’t remember when things began to change exactly, but he wasn’t complaining. He didn’t understand it, but he could definitely tell that he enjoyed it._

 _A few more moments of silence passed between the boys, and they both felt very relaxed in the cool breeze of the late afternoon, before Noah broke the silence._

 _“Well, come on Snyder,” Noah said, reaching for his History of Magic book. “We better get back to it.” But before he could get a hold of it, Luke quickly grabbed both of the books and held them away from the brunet._

 _“I don’t think so, Mayer!” Luke laughed. “We’ve been reading all afternoon! We’ve only been resting for like five minutes! I say we take another hour off and then cram some more before supper?”_

 _“No, Luke…we still have a lot to go over,” Noah told him firmly, reaching across Luke’s chest to grab for his book._

 _“Oh, no you don’t!” Luke said, raising off of the grass and taking a few steps away from Noah and the tree. “You need to learn to take a break, Noah. Even the best in our year has to take time away from studying every once in a while!”_

 _“I wouldn’t be the best in our year if I didn’t study!” Noah countered, now raising himself off of the ground. “Now give me my book back!”_

 _“Nope!” Luke shook his head, slowly backing further away from his approaching friend._

 _“Fine then…” Noah sighed, and with very fast hands pulled his wand from his robes. “Accio book!”_

 _One of the books broke away from Luke’s grasp, and quickly flew to Noah. He caught it easily and smiled in triumph at the blonde. Luke’s mouth was open and his eyebrows were creased._

 _“Hey! No fair!” Luke pouted. “You can’t use a Summoning Charm! That’s cheating!”_

 _“We’re supposed to be studying magic, are we not? How would using said magic be cheating?”_

 _“Give me the book back, Noah!” Luke demanded, jogging up to the taller boy and trying to get the object out of his hands. “Come on! I don’t want to study right now! I just want to relax for a bit!”_

 _“I’m not giving this back to you until you agree to go back to studying!” Noah challenged him, still smiling from his earlier victory. “I want you to pass your final.”_

 _“Fine,” Luke said, backing off a little from trying to grab the book. He made to go back to sitting by the tree, but instead quickly turned, caught Noah off-guard, and stole the book back. “Gotcha ya!”_

 _“Hey!” Noah protested, starting to chase after Luke who had ran behind the tree. “Give that back, Snyder!”_

 _Luke just laughed in response, and the two began to chase each other around the huge tree, Luke trying to keep the book from Noah. After a few minutes of boyishly chasing each other in circles, Noah finally quickened his stride and caught up to Luke when he had slowed up. He took this opportunity to grab Luke around the waist from behind and pick him up off the ground. As his feet left the ground, Luke began to flail his legs, which caused Noah to get caught off balance. Noah fell backwards on the ground by the tree and Luke landed unceremoniously on top of him._

 _Both boys started laughing at their situation, but their laughter quickly faded when they caught each other’s gaze and realized how close they were. They were both breathing heavily, and could feel the other’s heartbeat through their Gryffindor uniforms. They momentarily seemed to forget how they got into this position, focusing only on the fact they their faces were just inches apart._

 _Brown searched blue as time seemed to stand still. Noah felt caught up in one of those moments again, but this time, the feeling was more intense than ever before. Just a moment before, he was breathing so hard after their little game of chase, but now he wasn’t sure if he was even breathing at all. All he could think about were the brown eyes that were gazing tenderly at him, and the bowed lips that were hovering gently above his own._

 _“Are you OK?” Luke asked him, the words coming out as soft as breath._

 _“Perfect,” Noah answered, falling farther into Luke’s eyes._

 _An unspoken question was answered silently between them when their lips met. The first touch of lips was soft and electrifying and over too quickly. Luke pulled back until the tips of their noses were just barely touching, and wondered if Noah had felt that too. One look into his ocean blue eyes told him that he had._

 _Their lips met again, this time with a bit more force, and a lot more awkwardness, for neither boy had ever kissed anyone before. Noah, not knowing where exactly to put his hands, gently placed them on each side of Luke’s hips, in order to keep him steady while he was lying on top of him._

 _After a few moments their mouths began to move more urgently as all the previous awkwardness faded into uninhibited bliss. Noah never knew he had been craving this, but now that Luke’s warm body was flushed against his, and their lips were sealed together as if their were made to do so, it seemed like the most obvious thing ever._

 _They finally parted, all swollen lips and flushed cheeks. As they stared deeply into each other’s eyes, neither had moved an inch, both wanting to stay together for as long as possible._

 _Noah didn’t understand how they had got to this point, but he did know that things between them were never going to be the same. And when Luke smiled at him, that same smile that caught his attention four years ago in the Great Hall, he also knew that he was more than OK with that.  
_

 

*~*

 

Noah’s eyes fluttered open, and with the memory leaving a tingling sensation on his lips, he pointed his wand at the center of the room once again.

 _“Expecto patromun!”_

Once again, bright silver light shot from his wand, but instead of flying about the room, this time it came together and formed a sort of wall in front of him. He was able to control the force field for a few more minutes before he lowered his wand and the light disappeared.

“Fantastic, Mayer!” Professor Potter exclaimed, smacking him hard on the back. “Very well done! That was an excellent shield Patronus!”

“Thank you, sir,” Noah breathed out. He felt very tired…conjuring up a Patronus was taking a great deal of energy from him. Professor Potter seemed to sense this, and stuck his hand into his robes. He pulled out a simple chocolate bar and handed it to Noah.

“Take a bit of this, Mayer…it will help you regain your strength.”

Noah took the chocolate bar, opened up the wrapper, and took a bit. The chocolate and sugar seemed to have an immediate effect, because he already felt ready to give it another go.

“OK, Mayer…you did very well your first two times,” Professor Potter praised him. “Now let’s see if we can’t get you to produce a full corporeal Patronus this time! Your last memory was good, but this time, it has to be even better! You up for it?”

“I’ll try, sir,” Noah said politely, re-wrapping the bar and sticking it in his pocket. Once again, he turned toward the center of the room. He closed his eyes, and this time he didn’t even have to think of a memory, because he had already thought of the perfect one…

*~*

 

 _  
Hogwarts at Christmas time was, while very beautiful, extremely lonely. Almost everyone in the castle, Luke included, would return home to be with their families during the holidays. Noah usually stayed at school, while his father was away on assignments and spent Christmas alone in Gryffindor Tower._

 _But this year was different. Luke’s family was off to the States to visit relatives for the holidays, and Luke had the option of going with them or staying behind since he was sixteen and almost of age. Luke decided to stay behind and spend Christmas with Noah. He told his family that he didn’t want Noah to be alone for Christmas, since his father was out of the country, but if Luke was being honest to them, it was all because it would be the perfect opportunity for them to have some alone time._

 _They had been dating ever since that kiss they shared by the Black Lake in their Fourth Year. And now that they were Sixth Years, and were thrust into their N.E.W.T. level classes, they were having a hard time finding time to be together. They relished in the weekends that they were permitted to go to Hogsmeade, as it was the only opportunity to go on dates while at Hogwarts, and used every moment they could spare to be together. But nothing ever gave them substantial time to really enjoy each other’s company._

 _Noah was extremely thrilled that Luke would be spending Christmas with him at Hogwarts, but he was also incredibly nervous. With everyone being gone for the holidays, they would be the only ones in their dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. Just the two of them._

 _They had never been fully alone before, and Noah was pretty sure what would happen when they were. The physical part of their relationship was already a huge struggle to keep at bay, but now that no one was going to be around to keep them from getting closer, Noah knew that there would be no holding back._

 _He was really excited, and was sure that making love to Luke was what he wanted more than anything, but he was still really scared. He had never had sex before, and the pessimistic thoughts that followed that fact just kept escalating. He kept having to remind himself that Luke cared for him, and that he would protect him in bed if needed. And he knew that he would do the same in a heartbeat if needed. It was that thought alone that kept him going._

 _When Christmas Eve rolled around, Noah and Luke were sitting in the Great Hall for the Christmas Eve feast with only a handful of other students and a few teachers. Despite the small number of people, the house-elves still out-did themselves, leaving every person at the table bursting at the seams after dessert._

 _Noah and Luke barely spoke to each other throughout the meal, only managing to steal small glances here and there between conversations with others at the table. Both were fairly certain of the events that were going to unfold later that evening in the recesses of their vacated dorm room._

 _When the feast was finished and Luke and Noah had given well wishes to the other students and teachers, both boys began to quietly make their way back to the Gryffindor common room. They walked briskly side by side, pausing only to allow the staircases to finish changing before continuing on. When they had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Noah spoke “Gobbledegook!”, and the portrait swung open._

 _They stepped into the empty common room, the small fire in the hearth giving off a soft glow to the room. They headed straight for the spiraling stairs that led to the boy’s dormitories, and headed to their room. Luke opened the wooden door and stepped inside, Noah following on his heel. He shut the door behind him, pausing for a brief moment to catch his breath before turning around._

 _When he turned to face the room, he saw Luke standing at the foot of Noah’s four-poster bed, his normal confident personality gone from his person. Thick flakes of snow were falling heavily out the window to their right, giving promise of a very White Christmas. The fire in the center of the room was casting a shadow onto Luke’s face, and Noah thought that he had never looked more beautiful in his entire life._

 _He began to walk slowly toward Luke, never leaving his eyes. When finally he was standing before Luke, with barely any room in between them, the blonde lowered his gaze._

 _“We don’t have to do this.”_

 _Noah reached up and brought Luke’s chin back up to face him._

 _“Is that what you want?”_

 _“Yes…I mean, no, this is definitely what I want, Noah, but if you aren’t ready…”_

 _“Hey,” Noah interrupted, bringing both of his hands up to cup Luke’s face. “If this wasn’t what I wanted, I wouldn’t be here right now, would I?”_

 _Luke smiled softly at Noah, before rising up on his toes to kiss his mouth. The familiar passion ignited between them, but this time it felt a bit differently. This time both knew that they would be able to, for once, finally give in to their passion. To both boys, it felt extremely electrifying and freeing._

 _After a few moments of intense kissing, Luke abruptly broke away from Noah._

 _“Wait, Noah,” he told him quickly and very much out of breath. “Slow down for a moment.”_

 _“Are you having second thoughts?”_

 _“NO! No…no, I’m not having seconds thoughts, Noah…I just really have something to tell you before we go any further.”_

 _Noah swallowed hard and his heart rate sped up as he waited with bated breath for Luke to continue speaking._

 _“It’s just…Noah…you’ve been my best friend for almost six years, and my boyfriend for almost two. And I just…I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I want everything with you, and I want to share everything with you. I go to sleep at night with your face in my head, and I wake up every morning hoping that you are the first thing that I see…” Luke paused, and took a deep breath before continuing. “It’s just that…I’ve realized…what it comes down to is…I’m in love with you.”_

 _Noah’s stomach didn’t just flip at Luke’s words, it completely inverted itself, before landing with a large thud on his insides. His heart swelled with emotion, as he felt complete warmth traveling the lengths of his entire body. Luke loved him…_

 _“I love you, Noah…I think I always have…ever since the Sorting Ceremony six years ago.”_

 _Noah just stood there… words completely deserting his brain, and leaving only thoughts of Luke behind. He stared into Luke’s eyes, seeing flashes of smiles, simple touches, and kisses embedded in his darkened hues. To him, it all looked very much like forever._

 _“I love you too, Luke,” he finally whispered, his lips curling into a bright smile. “More than anything.”_

 _Luke’s smile lit up the circular room and the deepest corners of Noah’s being. He quickly flung his arms around Noah’s neck and smashed their lips together. No longer was it a kiss between boyfriends, their lips were kissing each other for the first time as lovers, and Luke and Noah could instantly feel the difference. Every brush of lips, every touch of tongues was intensified and their mouths seemed to be moving of their own accord._

 _Noah carefully maneuvered them to the side of the bed, before gently lowering them onto it. Noah pushed his body completely against Luke’s, creating a perfect mirror image of their first kiss._

 _As their lips remained locked in a heated embrace, clothes were removed, skin was discovered, and for the first time in their young lives, neither boy needed their wands to create magic.  
_

 

*~*

 

Noah’s nerves went haywire as complete euphoria sent extreme chills all over his body in remembrance of the night that he and Luke had first made love. He knew that it was now or never. Focusing all of his energy into the spell, he saw one last glimpse of honey-brown before lifting his wand and shouting into the open room.

 _“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”_

At once, silver light illuminated the entire room from the tip of his wand, and then shot through the air. The light swirled around for a bit before materializing into shape in the center of the room. It took Noah a few moments to recognize the form, but when he did, his heart swelled and he smiled widely, before causing his successful Patronus to soar freely throughout the room.

 

+++++

 

Noah took a bite of the chocolate bar that Professor Potter had given him after his lesson, as he made his way across the castle grounds. The afternoon wind was light and crisp, causing small ripples to form on the surface of the Black Lake. Spring season was one of Noah’s favorite times at Hogwarts. The grass that once was buried and brown underneath layers of white snow was now soft and green again. The sun was shining brightly between white, fluffy clouds, but the gentle breeze kept the temperature cool and comfortable. He saw that the tall trees of the Forbidden Forest were becoming thick again as their leaves began to grow after a long winter.

Noah continued to take in his surroundings as he walked along the lake. His lesson with Professor Potter was still on his mind, when he finally saw him. That familiar head of blonde was unmistakable, even at a distance. He was sitting with his back against a tree, their tree, and his eyes were deeply fixed on the book in front of him.

Noah changed course and took a wider path so Luke wouldn’t see him out of his peripheral vision. He walked quickly toward the tree, making a large arc so he would come up to him from the back of the tree. When he had arrived to his destination, Luke’s eyes were still on the words in front of him, and Noah took the opportunity to slip in behind him. He sat between Luke and the large tree trunk, with the shorter boy resting comfortably in between his long legs.

Luke tore his eyes away from the book and turned to face his boyfriend with a large smile.

“Hi,” he greeted simply, scooting closer to Noah’s body.

“Hey,” Noah smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I missed you this morning. How was Quidditch practice?”

“Ugh…it was rough,” Luke told him, resting his head against Noah’s hard chest. “Ever since Layla Stone’s cauldron blew up on her in Potions last week, she has been stuck in the hospital wing, so I had to try and find a replacement Chaser last minute for our final match next weekend.”

“Did you find anyone?”

“I gave Peter Fletchley Layla’s spot…although I wasn’t quite happy with it,” Luke admitted. “He’s a pretty fair flyer, but not up to Chaser standards. If we needed a Beater, he would be perfect. He doesn’t have the best shot either, but hopefully Lynn Taylor and I can pick up his slack.”

“I’m sure you guys will do great…I hear Ravenclaw’s not that good anymore ever since Mikey Randolf was kicked off the team because he was caught trying to hex Bailey Brighton a couple of weeks ago.”

“Yeah, that’s what we are hoping…” Luke sighed, the kind of sigh that gave Noah the impression that Luke had more on his mind than a simple Quidditch match.

“What’s on your mind, Luke?”

“It’s nothing really,” he replied after a bit of silence. “I just can’t stop thinking about how I successfully morphed into a stallion yesterday…after all this time…”

“Are you going to tell someone?” Noah asked, smiling inside at the thought of how his boyfriend had successfully become an Animagus at sixteen, after months of secretly working on it. “You have to register yourself, you know?”

“I know…and I will get around to it, I just want to be able to practice a few more times and make sure that I can really do it….But hey! I forgot…how was your lesson with Professor Potter?”

“It was really good, actually,” Noah said, thinking back to the last few hours. “It was pretty challenging, and exhausting, but very, very good. He helped me a lot.”

“Oh yeah?” Luke asked, turning his head to look his boyfriend in the eye. “What did he teach you?”

“He taught me how to produce a Patronus Charm,” Noah said matter of factly.

“Really?!” Luke said excitedly, turning around fully so that his whole body was facing Noah. “That’s really advanced magic! Were you able to conjure one?”

“Yep,” Noah smiled at his boyfriend’s enthusiasm, and the great pride he saw in his eyes.

“A shield Patronus or a corporeal form?”

“Both!”

“Oh my God!” Luke threw his arms around Noah’s neck. “That’s awesome Noah! What did your corporeal form take? Oh wait…let me guess…”

Noah laughed, and waited for Luke’s first guess.

“Let’s see…what animal fits you best…what about a lion?”

“A lion? Why would you guess that?”

“Well, lions are strong, and silent, and have great pride in themselves. They are also natural protectors, and that just seems to fit you really well.”

“Hmm…I suppose that is a good guess…but a wrong one. Keep guessing!”

For the next few minutes, Luke tried unsuccessfully to guess Noah’s animal Patronus, each guess becoming more obscure than the one before. Finally, Luke got fed up and just forced Noah to tell him what it is.

“Fine, Noah! I give up! Just tell me what it is already before I go crazy!”

Noah smiled briefly at the blonde, before quickly turning serious. He grabbed both of Luke’s hands in his before looking deeply into his eyes.

“It was a horse, Luke,” Noah confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. “My Patronus was a stallion.”

Luke’s mouth parted in shock, and his eyes began to fill with tears of joy.

“R-really?”

Noah released one of Luke’s hands, and brought his own up to tenderly cup Luke’s face.

“Really.”

Luke’s heart swelled at the thought that Noah’s Patronus was a stallion because of him…because he loved him.

“I love you too, Noah…so much.”

Noah brought Luke’s face to his for a breathtaking and grateful kiss. Luke wrapped his arms tighter around Noah’s neck, and sighed. Noah’s mouth tasted like chocolate, and sweetness, and pure love, and to Luke the mixture was absolutely intoxicating.

Noah’s arms snaked around Luke’s small waist, and he flushed their bodies closer together. He sucked in air through his nose, and was overwhelmed by the scent of Luke and Springtime.

When they pulled apart, Luke gently rested his forehead against Noah’s.

“So what did you think about, Noah?” Luke asked him, his breath falling onto Noah’s lips. “In order to conjure your Patronus?”

Noah backed his head away so he was once again gazing into Luke’s honey brown eyes, eyes that had turned into home over the past six years.

“It was you, Luke…it will always be you.”

 

END


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